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In the Front Garden: 2009
Black Coco Beans
Red Cabbage
Green Cabbage
Kale - curly/lacinto
Pak Choi
Wong Bok
Brussels Sprouts
Jenny Lind Melon
Basil
Serano Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Broccoli
Broccoli Rabe
Toscano Zucchini
Cucumbers
Mesclun Lettuce
Peas
Pinetree Lettuce Mix
Rome Tomatoes
Striped Roma Tomatoes
Prudence's Tomatoes
Pineapple Tomatoes
Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes
Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes
Strawberries
Red, White & Blue Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Wineberries In the back Garden: 2009 Black Berries Black Raspberries Mulberries Oregano
Black Raspberries
Sage
Lettuces
Red Beets
Radish - 2 types
This month's recipe came from the Garden and SH-H-H-H our nearby meadow. Here are the wild onions I dug from garden and where I walk Buster.
Here are the spring onions from the garden before I dug them up so you can identify them in your garden. They have long, thin stems that are tubular. If you break off a piece near the ground you can smell the onion or chive if you sniff the interior of the stem.
I added some mustard greens from our un-mowed back yard.
The reason I made this very simple soup was to get you out of the house and looking at what is around for free.
The calcium in the mustard
greens is right up there with kale, but it is free. The taste is a
little bitter, but adding a touch to a salad or steamed greens brings
out flavor without adding too much pucker power.I planted potatoes next to the strawberries, but nothing much is happening. Here are the strawberries and a volunteer cabbage.
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| We never remove the strawberries |
This volunteer's leaves will be ready for a salad in a few weeks. |
Here's how the sprouts look after being planted April 24.
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| Cabbage | Cauliflower |
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| Cucumbers | Peas - Since April 15 |
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| Toscano [lacinato] Kale |
Lettuce Mix |
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| Tatsoi | Toscano Zucchini |
April 13, 2009
Hey, it's time to start those seed pots.
I have a great friend, Janet Burgan, yes, Janet Burgan the singer and songwriter. She is also a gardener. She gets our pots started. She has been doing this for a number of years. The early plants became her gift to me while I was finishing my Master's program. We have continued since then. [Plus she has a green house.]
I include pictures from my garden and her's this month and will continue to have photos throughout the growing season.
This is Janet's very organized garden:
The chair in the greenhouse.
The planting table in the greenhouse.
The upper garden looking at the greenhouse [on the left with the slanted roof.
Here is Janet's little stalks of garlic, April 2009
March 3, 2009
Where to put your garden?
I have people ask me more about what should they grown instead of where should they grow.
Looking in the back yard at 1pm will tell you little about the best place or how to lay out your garden.
Go roaming around your space several times during the day, and during the year if you know it is NOT going to happen until 2010. Check out the light at different times. What is drench in sun 9-1, may be completely shaded right after 1:15 until the next day. What is dappled at 10am, could be a tanning salon after 11.
The picture below of our garden is facing west. One would think on the western side of the garden would be shaded out. But what really happens is that the entire south half of the garden gets light until about 10am. Then the tree to the south and west shades for 3 hours. There is late afternoon light on this area. Strangely enough the north side gets little morning light and then is blasted until 6pm. That lead me to think about what did well in shade, what branches could I cut down still maintaining the beauty of the tree and that the tallest plants need to be north and not west.
The small garden in the backyard gets light until early-mid afternoon.
Of course, this is during the summer. I had to think about what I would plant later in the summer which would still be edible into the late fall. So, what is in the northern part of the garden would let these types of plants be sustained the longest.
Of course, you should get your soil checked or talk to neighboring gardeners for what grows well. At least for the first year, you want stuff you know is going to render a result. Otherwise, you may get discouraged from trying it again next year.
The last idea you should put into the mix is that the best place may not be the most convenient. Our garden is across the street, our backyard is too hilly. Besides the blackberries and raspberries reign supreme back there. So, that kitchen garden may have a trail or need to be in pots to make it user-friendly.
Wherever your garden grows, realize Mother Nature has her own plan. Your garden is just an addendum.
Our garden was started as piles of cut down pampas grass laid over an open area on our property. It was about 15 x 15. I have only turned over the soil once. That was the year that we didn't put leaves and other composting material over the grass and cut out light for weeds. [We love many of the "weeds" in our garden]
Now the garden in the front is 30 x 30 and the back is 3 x 6. We are trying to keep the tomatoes, who showed up a month late, turning red and the kale going. We have wooden structures with twine to have the tomatoes and eggplant grow verticle. I will be building cold frames for the kale. The purslane will take care of itself.
February 10, 2009
Winter's blanket on the garden
The sleeping garden
Waiting for spinach in the backyard
The New garage adn blackberry canes, old outhouse on the left
Leftover Kale
What is left of Seamus's pumpkin
Sept. 24
A local ground hog ate our kale, broccoli, cabbage and some tomatoes. The kale is growing back. Thank goodness she didn't want the basil.
I fixed the wire gate and it appears to be holding.
August
My friend, and musician, Janet Burgan, is planting another flat of fall lettuce for me. Hopefully that will exsist in a cold frame in the back garden.
We harvested about 30 or 40 quarts of strawberries, a few of raspberries [we previously got about a quart] and will see what happens to the blackberries. The blackberries seem not to be as many, but bigger in size since the fire last Labor Day weekend. We didn't freeze any Mulberries as the tree was fairly burned and is recooperating.
November 23, 2008
The garden is done for the season. I worked on an internet series for two weeks in October, and didn't have time to cover the garden the way it needed. We did get another meal from the kale. Something decided to eat part of it and the cabbage that was left.
The parsley and sage are in my kitchen in front of the sliding glass doors and doing very fine. My wintering lettuce never quite came out of its shell. That's what experiments are all about.
However, we have had smoothies with the strawberries from spring, and even had a few to nibble in September. I'll be making berry crisp in January.
I do have some onions, potatoes and squash in the garage covered up and hoping they won't freeze before we gobble them up.
Michelle Obama has joined the thousands creating an Organic Garden. Instead of applauding her, some in the Agri Business have "shuddered" to think of a garden without chemicals or use of "conventional" gardening practices. Here's a part of the email sent by the MACA to their members:
"Did you hear the news? The White House is planning to have an "organic" garden on the grounds to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the Obama's and their guests. While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I shudder. As a result, we sent a letter encouraging them to consider using crop protection products and to recognize the importance of agriculture to the entire U.S. economy."
Here's a link to theactual letter without the MACA guy's statement. Here's a link to a petition you can sign to support organic gardening.
Contact me at: marty_davey@yahoo.com Copyright . Marty Davey, RD,MS. All rights reserved.
